I. Club Summary
II. Club Activities
III. Club Rules
IV. Membership
V. Expenditure of Funds
VI. Club Officers
VII. Chess Team
VIII. Club blog
IX. Commitment to Laws and Regulations
X. Amendment
I. Club Summary
a. Purpose
The Hillcrest Chess Club is a non-curriculum club whose purpose is to create an environment where students may learn and play chess. Members have opportunities to learn how to play, study advanced strategies, compete in tournaments, and simply play friendly games. The club will be overseen by a faculty room monitor, as well as club officers (President, Vice-President, and Secretary).
b. Meetings
The Hillcrest Chess Club meets every Monday after school until , and additional days in the school week whenever possible. The schedule will be posted on the Club's blog, <huskychess.blogspot.com>.
II. Club Activities
a. Free Play
Members can come to socialize and play friendly games of chess or chess variants, such as Bughouse Chess and Chinese Chess. They may also use this time to study any chess books or puzzles, or they can receive instruction from more experienced players. Members may free play at any time during club meetings and during any club activities as they please, provided that they are not disruptive.
b. Lessons and Coaching
Officers will arrange and schedule occasional lessons, which will teach basic rules as well as advanced technique. They will occur with varying frequency according to the needs, preferences, and requests of club members. These lessons will be given by more experienced players and occasional guest speakers. Lesson schedules will be posted on the Club's blog.
c. Tactics Trainer Puzzle Challenge
There will be a series of several trainer chess puzzles that members can complete individually (they may not assist each other). Once they have solved all of the puzzles, which include tasks of varying difficulty such as checkmating and completing tactical combinations, they will win an award.
d. Monthly Tournaments
On the last school week of every month, a tournament will be held. Tournaments will be organized and directed by the Officers. The number of games and days of the tournament may vary according to the Officer's discretion. Officers may not participate in tournaments. The overall winner of the tournament will be named the Champion of that month.
e. End of Year Tournament
Instead of the usual Monthly tournament, a special End of Year tournament will be held in May (there will be no tournament in June). Officers may participate in the end of year tournament. The winner of this tournament will be Champion of the Year.
III. Club Rules
a. General Rules
1. Club meetings may only be held if the Faculty Monitor and at least one officer are present.
2. Club equipment may not be taken from the classroom(s) that have been designated for club meetings without permission of the club officers.
3. No gambling is permitted.
4. Members must obey all school rules and comply with all applicable district policy. Members must also obey any classroom rules that the Faculty Monitor sees fit to enforce (no food or drink in the classroom, etc.).
b. Rules Agreement
In order to gain membership in the club, students must sign the following agreement:
When participating in club activities on the school campus…
I will not speak or act abusively or profanely. I will behave respectfully and supportively to other club members.
I will always play fairly and with good sportsmanship. I understand that everyone loses from time to time, and I understand that accepting and learning from failure is what it takes to become a strong player.
I will not gamble.
I will respect all club equipment, and I will not remove it from the designated classroom(s) without permission. I understand that I will have to compensate for any damage that I cause to club equipment.
I will respect the classroom and obey any rules set by the Faculty Monitor or the school.
I agree with the above statements. _____________________
(Signature)
IV. Membership
a. Requirements of Membership
In order to become a member of the Hillcrest Chess Club, students must 1) pay a non-refundable entry fee of $5.00, 2) provide written permission from either a parent with legal custody or other legal guardian, and 3) sign the Rules Agreement. Members may only participate in club activities if they have fulfilled all of these requirements.
There are no restrictions to membership, but officers and the Faculty Monitor reserve the right to rescind memberships of those who are in violation of the Rules Agreement.
b. Description of Membership
Upon fulfilling the above three requirements, members will be given a membership card, which is required to participate in any club activity or use any club equipment. All memberships are valid for one year and must be renewed for five dollars each year. Memberships are non-transferable.
c. Club Provision
As required by district policy, the club must maintain a minimum of seven members at any given time.
V. Expenditure of Funds
a. Entry Fee Funds
All funds obtained from entry fees will be used to purchase chess sets, unless there are sufficient chess sets for all regularly attending members. Any resulting extra entry fee funds will be placed in Extra Funds.
b. Extra Funds
All other funding, (from personal donations, renewal fees, fundraisers, etc.) may only be used for the following, at the discretion of the Club President:
· Chess clocks
· Demonstration boards
· Score sheets
· Chess books and magazine subscriptions
· Awards (such as plaques and medals)
· Guest Speakers
c. Club Commitment
In all decisions pertaining to the expenditure of funds, the Hillcrest Chess Club will proceed pursuant to Canyons School District
VI. Club Officers
a. Terms
All officers will serve a term of one school year. Officers are encouraged to attend every activity possible and are meant to be available for information, support, and assistance to all club members. The highest officer is the President, followed by the Vice-President, then the Secretary.
b. President
The duties of the President are as follows:
- Generally represent and preside over club
- Serve as Chess Team captain and choose members of the team
- Supervise all chess club meetings and activities
- Schedule and prepare lessons
- Give advice and assistance as needed to club members
- Organize fundraisers as necessary
- Organize and direct chess tournaments (with consultation with other officers)
- Make financial decisions
- Attend all club meetings possible
c. Vice-President
The duties of the Vice President are as follows:
-Assist the President in all duties, and take over duties in absence of the President
-Maintain club blog
d. Secretary
The duties of the Secretary are as follows:
- Keep records of all financial transactions/ oversee accounts
- Keep records of all membership
- Keep records of all activities and attendance
- Assist President and Vice-President as necessary
e. Requirements for Candidacy
- Attended at least 70% of club activities
- Participated in at least one club tournament
- Demonstrates a clear dedication to, skill in, and appreciation of the game of chess
f. Elections
A special meeting will be held in March of every school year, scheduled and conducted by the club officers. All members will be strongly encouraged to attend. At the meeting, elections will be held for the officers of the following school year. Members will also review the year and discuss ideas to improve the club for the next year. Amendments may be proposed for the club charter, which will be submitted with the club's reapplication.
The candidates for election will be chosen by the President and Vice-President during the two weeks previous to the March meeting, and approved of by all three officers. Anyone who meets the requirements for candidacy and wishes to run for office may do so by simply asking one of the current officers. All current officers may run for reelection if they so choose.
In the March meeting, a separate election will be held for each office in which every attending member will have one vote. Elections will be held consecutively in the following order: President, Vice-President, Secretary.
VII. Chess Team
The Hillcrest Chess Club will sponsor an official chess team which will represent the school at any Scholastic or District events. The President will act as Team Captain and will choose the members of the team.
VIII. Club Blog
The club will have an official blog on blogspot.com. The address is http://huskychess.blogspot.com/. It is the duty of the Vice-President to maintain the blog. Posted there will be tournament results, schedules, general information, and chess news and puzzles. All officers will be authors of the blog, and only officers may edit and post.
IX. Commitment to Laws and Regulations
The Hillcrest High School Chess Club pledges to comply with all applicable district and state regulations, including Utah Code Ann 53A-3-419, Utah Administrative Code R277-617, and Canyons District Policy AA443.
X. Amendments
All proposed changes to this charter must be approved unanimously by all three Club Officers before being submitted with the Club's Reapplication.
